Taking the First Step

Now that you know what has motivated me to change my eating habits, I will now explain how I began. The 1st book I read was ‘Eat Dirt’ by Dr. Josh Axe, recommended to me by my amazing sister-in-law. It’s because of Dr. Axe that I first heard the expression ‘leaky gut’. Today I am going to break down what I learned from reading his book. Never hearing the expression ‘leaky gut’ until reading this book I thought maybe this was what I have been suffering from and wanted to find out more. According to information from Dr. Axe’s book and website, leaky gut is basically described as inflammation throughout ones body due to particles leaking into your blood stream from your intestines. Leaky gut has been associated with such conditions as: allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes, to name a few. If you, like myself, find that you have become sensitive to certain foods, especially gluten and dairy, leaky gut can be one of the causes. Of course, the best thing to do before starting any dietary changes is to discuss making changes with your primary care physician. After my diagnosis of MS, my primary care physician recommended that I go on a dairy and gluten free diet so this all began to make sense to me.

So what exactly doest it mean to ‘Eat Dirt’? According to Dr. Axe, after taking away the water that is in our bodies we would be “Left with mostly dirt”, as we are made up of such earthly elements as oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and calcium to name a few. Dr Axe goes on to say that all of these elements, plus many more are what helps to make a “Living, breathing human being”. Don’t you agree that as a society we have become so afraid of germs/bacteria? Dr. Axe explains in Chapter 4 of his book that because of becoming a sterile society, there are beneficial microbes that we are missing out on. He explains that these microbes help to “Reinforce the numbers of good bacteria in the gut, aid the body in creating nutrients, including vitamins B12 and K2, support healthy digestion and absorption of minerals, reduce inflammation and helps to heal (or prevent) leaky gut”!

So, how do we go about doing this? Here are some of Dr. Axe’s suggestions for ‘eating dirt’. If you need any further instructions or recipes please send me a message and I will send them over to you. 1: Include probiotic foods into your diet, for example-kefir, yogurt and or sauerkraut. (Because I have gone the more dairy free route I recently picked up a probiotic supplement from Sprouts ( a very affordable health food store) that I take 2x a day that has totally worked wonders on my digestive system). 2: Consume raw honey and bee pollen. 3: Bathe in mineral salts. 4: Put your feet on the ground. This one I happen to love. How long has been since you’ve felt the earth under your feet..no shoes..just bare feet? If you’ve got a backyard or front yard or a park near by..spend time each day walking on the grass, soaking up the earth’s elements. This has an amazing way of reminding us where we came from and helps us to feel one with nature. 5: Eat as close to the Earth as possible, staying away from GMO’s-genetically modified organisms. This may not sound easy and maybe sounds expensive but after shopping for organic products I’ve found that by taking the time to comparison shop it was actually less expensive and easier that I thought it would be. Going organic, according to Dr. Axe, means choosing organically grown fruits and vegetables that are free of chemical pesticides,choosing dairy products and meats that come from grass-fed animals; I’ve recently made the switch to brown, cage-free eggs and notice a difference in the taste and in my digestion after making the switch. Also choose breads and crackers that include such grains as flaxseeds and other seeds as well.

By beginning slowly and consciously you can make healthy, simple changes that will show benefits immediately. If you would like any further information from Dr. Axe’s book, ‘Eat Dirt,’ please feel free to leave me a comment/message and I will send more information your way! Thanks for reading and check back soon for my next blog on achieving ‘Gut-Bliss!’